July 21, 2020
Florida continues to be a national hotspot for cases of COVID-19. We must each do our part to prevent further spread by taking precautions such as wearing a face covering, washing our hands and practicing physical distancing.
UCF continues to plan to open in phases, with some face-to-face classes resuming this fall. The university’s plans are purposefully flexible so that adjustments can be made as public health conditions change. We will stay in regular communication with health officials and state leaders as we have since the pandemic began, and we will continue to prioritize the health and well-being of all members of our community.
Today, I am sharing updates on a few of the areas critical to helping UCF welcome Knights back this fall.
Testing
With the rise in COVID-19 cases, healthcare systems across our region are stressed. Like many other local providers, the Aventus Biolabs testing sites at UCF Garage A and the College of Medicine also have been impacted by the extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19 and have experienced challenges with scheduling and the timely delivery of test results.
We are actively working on improvements that will better position us for the fall, when residents returning to UCF Housing and on-campus Greek housing will be tested upon move-in. These improvements will include enhanced customer service and the delivery of test results in a timely, reliable manner.
Conversations are ongoing and planning is fluid, but I want our community to know that we have heard your concerns and are addressing them.
We will share more details in the coming weeks, and we encourage any member of the UCF community with a concern about symptoms or exposure to call the UCF COVID Line at 407-823-2509 to arrange for a telehealth visit and possible COVID-19 testing.
Tracing
We continue to bolster our contact tracing practices in collaboration with the Department of Health as we prepare for the next phases of campus reopening. To assist in our efforts, we ask for your help:
- Students: Ensure that your contact information in myUCF is up to date. This is the information that will be made available to tracers in the event there is the need to reach you about possible exposure to COVID-19.
- Employees: Fill out the COVID Self-Checker each day before arriving on campus to screen for symptoms and share location information that could be used for contact tracing. The self-checker is available via the UCF Mobile app or online. Student employees returning to campus should complete the online form.
UCF remains committed to regular, transparent communication via our coronavirus website, and we welcome any questions to covid19questions@ucf.edu.
COVID-19 has introduced more uncertainties into our lives than we could have ever imagined. We do not know when it will be over, but every step each of us takes now to prevent further spread inches us closer to getting “back to normal.”
Please join me in Armoring Up, Knights, and helping us get to the other side of COVID-19.
Dr. Michael Deichen, MD, MPH
Associate Vice President of UCF Student Health Services